Dan Haren

The MLB Division Series is too short and should be seven games

I think the division series is too short though. Ooh, I don't understand. I don't understand why you play 162 and then it's gotta be five games. I think the, the better team would win out more often in a seven game series.

Yordan Alvarez is the best hitter I have ever had to scout

We've faced Yordan [Alvarez] this year. He was, he's the best hitter I've ever had to advance scout. Whoa. I'm talking about covering all the pitches, hitting lefties, everything. He's the best hitter I've ever had to had to scout.

If I had played every day in 2010, I would have been better than Shohei Ohtani

It is crazy [what Ohtani is doing] until you look at how I hit in 2010 and realized that I was basically Shohei Ohtani in 2010. If I would play every day like Ohtani, I would be better probably than Ohtani. The only thing that he can do that I couldn't do is run, and I couldn't run that well.

Mike Trout is the greatest baseball hitter in the history of the sport

He is the greatest player I've ever seen. I was kind of arguing with my dad. I was telling him he might be the best hitter in the history of baseball and he didn't agree with me.

It's more efficient to skip the dentist for 10 years and then do everything at once under anesthesia

Do you want to go to the dentist twice a year and just be nervous, or do you want to go once every 10 years and just get knocked out? Just have anesthesia all day and get everything taken care of, just like a coma for a day, and then knock it out, you're fine. It's way more efficient that way.

Baseball celebrations have gone too far in regular season games

For me, since I have played before, I will say I do think the celebrations have gone too far... Like a day game in Cincinnati in April, it seems like Game 7 of the World Series, it's a little much.

The best way to handle a veteran player who needs to retire is to fake an injury and put them on the IL

That's a very easy answer, and it happened to me once in my career. You just put him on the DL. That's all you do, or the IL, whatever. You throw him on there... transfer them to the 60-day and you kind of forget about them.

The Clippers are a better team than the Lakers heading into the 2019 season

Well, I think the Clippers are better, and I wanted them to get like a knockdown shooter to go along with those two guys... when they struck out on Kawhi, it's just they got a bunch of kind of filler pieces. I mean, I guess they're a little deeper maybe than the Clippers, but I don't know.

The Lakers are Anthony Davis' team, not LeBron James'

I mean, it's Anthony Davis' team. LeBron... you know, I wasn't a huge fan of the whole LeBron thing in the first place, and he was all right last year... I'd rather have Kawhi than LeBron, obviously.

Analytics actually work and players eventually buy in when they see the results

I think people were opposed to it at first, and then guys realized how much it works... when analytics was first a thing, guys didn't want to buy it, and now they see how much it works, and you can just see it.

MLB baseballs are definitely juiced and it's stupid to deny it

Well, there's absolutely I mean, there's something different I don't think any I mean Manfred's the only guy that's denying this but i mean they're on pace record pace for homers... there's no doubt. I mean, it's juiced. I can't believe they keep denying it.

I was one of the last 'crafty righties' in Major League Baseball

The type of pitcher that I was is just completely gone now. Like, there's not too many guys. I mean, there's a few like crafty lefties, but very few crafty righties. I was one of the last crafty righties. That's for sure.

The 2019 World Series will be the Diamondbacks vs. the Yankees

Oh you have to say Diamondbacks yeah I have to say the Diamondbacks yes okay against the Yankees okay okay the Yankees little throwback to what was that 2001.

Things are finally looking up for the New York Jets with Sam Darnold

My parents grew up in New York, and I was raised a Jets fan. It's been rough. [But] I think things are looking better. [Sam Darnold] will be awesome.

Hank is correct: MLB baseball seams are 9% bigger than in previous years

I saw an article in, I think it was The Athletic, that they tested baseballs. And the biggest difference between baseballs from, I think it was this year or last year, and say 2013 or 14, was the seams were 9% bigger. Hank is right. Hank is actually right.

The Arizona Diamondbacks will play the Boston Red Sox in the World Series

D-Backs, Red Sox.

Kobe Bryant is not the GOAT and he thinks he's too smart

I'm a big Lakers fan, but I don't think Kobe's the GOAT. Kobe bugs the shit out of him. He thinks he's so smart. That's what really bugs me, is he thinks he's really smart.

Clayton Kershaw is not finished as an elite pitcher

Neither [done or finished]. Come on. I'm a Kershaw fan, even though I work for the D-backs... I never count that guy out. He works too hard.

Clayton Kershaw will never 'suck' in the playoffs again

When are we going to see playoff Kershaw where he just sucks and gives up mammoth home runs and we all get to laugh on Twitter? Never.

The Dodgers will beat the Astros in six games

Dan Heron on the record, Dodgers in six.

Lonzo Ball will have 24 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists tonight

I'm going to go ahead and say Lonzo Ball tonight, 24 points. Eight rebounds, six assists.

David Ross is the face of baseball because of Dancing with the Stars

One guy that his retirement went so opposite of mine that it kind of annoys me now is David Ross... He was the face of baseball when it was the Dancing with the Stars. Buster Olney or Ken Rosenthal were saying he's the face of baseball because he's what most people would recognize.

Pitching inside is the safest way to attack Aaron Judge

With those guys, like the big guys like [Aaron Judge], I think keeping the ball inside is safer because if you throw it out over the middle, there's the chance to hit it right back up the middle right at you. So keeping it inside and hope they put it on the ground.

Pitching in high altitude causes sliders, curveballs, and sinkers to have significantly less movement

They break less. Sliders break less. You know, sinkers don't sink as much. The key when you pitch in Colorado... was minimizing walks... just less guys on base.

The Diamondbacks will defeat the Astros in the 2017 World Series

I'll say Diamondbacks versus Astros then... Diamondbacks [win].

Clayton Kershaw and Max Scherzer are the best pitchers in baseball

Him [Kershaw] and Scherzer are the best ones. [Kershaw] is the best pitcher in baseball. I'm worried about his back, though. This is the third year in a row he's gone on the DL for his back.

Once a pitcher hurts their back, they are screwed long-term

It's unfortunate. Once you hurt your back, you're screwed. Trust me. [Kershaw] tried to change his workout... and I don't think it helped.

Yu Darvish is the best trade target available among top pitchers

I would take Darvish. I like Darvish. He's got great stuff. I know the Dodgers and Cubs are looking at both those guys, but I mean, they're all really good, but I'm a big fan of Yu Darvish. I like his stuff. I know Verlander's got more... control, but I'm a big Darvish guy.

The Cubs will win the World Series in seven games

I'm going to say Cubs in seven. The Indians are tougher than you think, man. They're pretty good. The tough thing with the Indians is if they get a lead on you with Shaw and then obviously Miller can go two innings and Cody Allen. So basically if they get through five innings with a lead, you're in bad shape.

Trevor Bauer's teammates are likely talking behind his back about his drone injury

I think they're more mad than they would lead on. Like they would probably say, Hey man, nothing, no big deal, but then you get the guys behind closed doors that are probably talking a lot of shit about him.

Kyle Schwarber can successfully return and hit home runs in the World Series after six months off

If anybody can do it, it would be [Schwarber] to step back, just to step up after a year off or not even a year, like six months off and be able to hit bombs. It would be him. He will not overthink it. That's impossible.

Clayton Kershaw gets too much hate; people focus on his last bad game and ignore that he pitched on short rest

I get a little defensive. [Kershaw] is like my son. It's like I get defensive when people get on him. I mean, the guy did—he herniated his disc. He came back short rest. He pitched three out of the five games in the first series. He dealt the first game, and then he had a bad last game, and that's all people hang on to.

Chicago will have more arrests than Cleveland if their team wins the World Series

I kind of want to go to Chicago just to see what it would be like. I mean, that's going to be fucking nuts up there. I think Chicago will—we'll take the crown and arrest, probably.

Cubs fans should be scared of Madison Bumgarner in the NLDS

Man, I don't know. I'm scared for the Cubs. I'm serious. The problem with playing the Giants for the Cubs' sake is you really need to win the first two games. Ideal situation would be not going back to San Francisco in a 1-1 series and having to face Bumgarner.

In a one-game win-or-die scenario, Clayton Kershaw is the best choice

if you had one game to win and you could have your pick of, let's call it Scherzer, Arrieta, and Kershaw, who are you taking? Kershaw, no doubt. Yeah, but you're friends with him. Yeah, so.

Jake Arrieta is spraying his fastball around more than usual and is cause for worry

I'm a little worried about the way he's throwing the ball. It seems a little wild... he just seems kind of spraying his – it seems to me he sprays his fastball around a little more than usual... it's led to him getting into more like two and three, one counts.

Kyle Hendricks will do really well in the postseason

Kyle Hendricks obviously had an unbelievable season. The playoffs are a different beast... Should I be worried at all about that? No, he will do. He's going to do really well... he's added a little bit to his arsenal... He's going to be good.

The Dodgers will beat the Nationals in the NLDS

Who do you have in the Dodgers National Series? I have the Dodgers. Even though Kershaw? What about Kershaw? He's fine.

The Rangers' stadium really sucks

That stadium in Texas really sucks. I don't like it. It's just, I just don't like, I don't know, I don't like the setup. Yeah, I mean, the fans always sing, I don't know, it wasn't the toughest place to pitch.

The Cubs will win the National League and the Blue Jays will win the American League

I like the Cubs still. I do like the Cubs... AL, I like the Blue Jays. I do like the Blue Jays, yeah... they had a little experience. They got some guys in the bullpen, pretty good starting staff, and a lineup's a joke.

The Cubs will trade for a relief pitcher and it will cost them a significant asset

The Cubs probably need to get a reliever. Maybe the Schwarber for Andrew Miller thing happens... I'm pretty certain they're going to add an arm in the bullpen, and it's going to take a lot to get one of those guys.

It is acceptable for elite pitchers like Jake Arrieta to skip the All-Star game to stay fresh for the second half

He's locked 350-plus innings in the last year and a half. So, I mean, if the guy [Jake Arrieta] doesn't want to pitch in the All-Star game and take an extra two weeks to be fresh, I think that's okay.